Assassin PvE build (Krix Domi)

Krix Domi has the highest Assassin damage on Global and led the Ludra world first. This is his PvE setup at about 2,800 item level and 170K combat power, recorded on 2026-10-11. It's an 11-minute walkthrough of his own screens, so it shows what he runs. It doesn't explain the whole class.

Two things he says up front:

• Assassin is not in a good place on Global right now. In the comments he says Cleric is the best class for all content, and that Assassin is "not that good in PvE atm".
• Everything on Assassin is built around cooldown reduction. Global caps critical hit chance at 50%, and the stigma skill levels are capped too, so the class has long gaps between its buffs. Cooldown from every source (Storm Rampage, wings, titles, Pantheon, the skin collection) closes those gaps.

1. How the core loop works

• Heart Gore can only be used after you land a critical hit. Its level 16 option resets its own cooldown when Heart Gore itself crits. With the 50% crit cap you sometimes chain it several times in a row; other times it sits on cooldown.
• [Correction] In the video he said a crit on Quick Slice "resets" Heart Gore. In the comments he clarified that he meant it enables Heart Gore: after you pop Illusive Clone, you can't use Heart Gore until something crits. Quick Slice's level 16 option (ignores Block and Evasion and always crits) gives you that first crit. [Verified 2026-10-17, game client: it unlocks at skill level 16; the third specialty slot opens at 20.] Before he had Quick Slice at 16, he "could never use HG" at the start of the Gartuga fight.
• Storm Rampage hits a staggered boss and takes 1 second off every skill cooldown per hit. That's why it's his second most important skill for Season 1.
• Assassins do more damage from behind, so the gap closers are only for getting behind the boss.

2. Skills and specialties

Specialty picks below were read off his skill screens.

Skill	His level	Specialties he runs	Notes
Quick Slice	10 (+10)	+50% Multi-Hit on hit · -1s [Insignia Explosion] cooldown on hit · Ignores Block and Evasion and lands as a Critical Hit	"Probably our most important spell." Below level 16 you only have the first two.
Heart Gore	10 (+9)	Multi-Hit on hit · Resets [Heart Gore] cooldown on landing a Critical Hit	At level 20 he takes HP absorb over "+20% Critical Hit when fewer targets". [Correction] Asked why, he said he tested the +20% and "it doesn't do anything".
Insignia Explosion	10 (+7)	+50% Multi-Hit on hit · Keep 2 stacks of Insignia after use	Level 16 is enough; 20 is optional. At 17 only two slots are open (the third opens at 20). [Verified 2026-10-18, video frame]
Storm Rampage	+6	Multi-Hit on hit · -1s all skill cooldowns on hit	Only hits staggered targets.
Shadowstrike	10 (+3)	+20% caster Critical Damage Boost (10s) · 50% chance to inflict Seal for 5s on hit	"Extremely important." Cast it by hand whenever it's up. [Verified 2026-10-18, video frame]
Flash Slice		6m range, one extra use	Only for getting behind the boss.
Infiltrate		+10m [Infiltrate] range	Teleport behind the boss.

Everything else is situational.

Passives, best first

1. Rear Smite: back attack damage and PvE damage. His best passive.
2. Assault Stance: critical damage.
3. Exploit Weakness: attack % plus critical hit.
4. Impact Hit: double chance (Multi-Hit).

Stigmas

Stigma	Level	Why
Illusive Clone	20	His best stigma. Max it.
Swift Contract	20	Boosts Rear Smite and Assault Stance; +30% combat speed at 20 (20% base + 10%).
Revitalization Contract	10	-10% cooldowns each time you use it.
Savage Fang	15	+10% damage. He often swaps it for Evasion Stance to survive boss mechanics.

He does not use Ambush. It locks you in place and has a slow cast. That's his personal preference, and the commenters who use it as filler aren't wrong; he agreed Ambush "is fine to use as filler".

3. Macro and buttons

• He makes two macros. The first holds Insignia Explosion alone. The second, on right click, holds Storm Rampage, Heart Gore, Savage Roar in that order.
• Bind it under Key settings → Game macro to right click, then hold left and right click together. The character weaves basic attacks and the macro.
• [Correction] Asked why Insignia Explosion isn't in the right-click macro like other creators do it: Savage Roar is a 3-hit combo, so with IE on the same button it would only go off after the whole combo.
• Shadowstrike stays manual.

Opener

Both buffs (Illusive Clone + Swift Contract) → Infiltrate behind the boss → Savage Fang (on E for him) → Triniel's Dagger → hold both mouse buttons. Cast Shadowstrike by hand when it comes up.

A commenter suggested Shadowstrike → Ambush → the dagger finisher, because Ambush and the finisher land together. Krix: "could work, haven't tried it."

4. Daevanion board

He shows his boards and says you can copy them from a screenshot. The rule he gives: take the good corner nodes, and path through nodes with useful stats to reach them. The video only shows the boards briefly, so it doesn't list the nodes. Use his on-screen boards, or a planner build for the current patch.

5. Arcana

4-piece Primal Vigor + 1 Magic Armor.

Card	Set	Skill levels he wants on it
Chalice	Primal Vigor	If you're crafting one early: Quick Slice (get it to 16 first)
Parchment	Primal Vigor	Quick Slice, Heart Gore, Insignia Explosion
Compass	Primal Vigor	Savage Roar, Storm Rampage (Savage Roar to +4 once upgraded)
Bell (the blue card)	Magic Armor	Assault Stance (the important one, aim for +4), Ambush Stance
Mirror	Primal Vigor	Rear Smite (aim for +4), Exploit Weakness, Impact Hit

From the comments:

• Chalice: Quick Slice or Heart Gore? If Quick Slice isn't 16 yet, take it. Once it is, take Insignia Explosion to 16 next. He prefers QS over HG.
• +1 skill lines on gear or on Arcana? Both: on rings and on Arcana.
• [Community] One commenter says Savage Roar +4 is wasted and 12 is enough. Krix disagrees: Savage Roar is "op for us for now since we have too much down time".

6. Wings

• Best: Talisra Wings (Bound), from Season Shop → Special, 210,000 season coins, one per character. They give cooldown reduction, which is what the class wants. He had 62,000 when recording, so save for them.
• Until then he uses Forest Spirit Wings for bosses (Boss Attack 95, Defense 400, Damage Tolerance 2.5%, Boss Damage Boost 3.5%). Dark Veil Wings are about as good.

7. Pets (Genus Insight)

The same template on every genus; only slots 4 and 7 change.

Slot	Stat
1	Attack Bonus or Max Attack
2	HP
3	Critical Hit
4	varies by pet family (below)
5	Attack Bonus or Max Attack
6	Critical Hit
7	varies by pet family
8	HP
9	Critical Hit

Genus	Slot 4	Slot 7
Varian	Back Attack Boost (better) or Multi-Hit (double chance)	PvE Damage Tolerance
Natura	PvE Damage Boost (or Perfect)	PvE Damage Tolerance
Fera	PvE Damage Boost (about 4% at best, slightly better) or Weapon Damage Boost	PvE Damage Tolerance (keep a high-roll Damage Tolerance; it also helps PvP)
Cogni	PvE Damage Boost or Critical Damage Boost	Damage Tolerance or PvE Damage Tolerance

[Correction] The translation says "HP damage increase/tolerance"; the game calls these PvE Damage Boost and PvE Damage Tolerance. The genus names were matched to the slot 4 stats each genus can roll in the game client. Full system: Genus Insight.

From the comments:

• Why Max Attack in slots 1 and 5, and not Critical Attack? "Max attack scales with Perfect; Attack Bonus scales with Attack %."
• Why Back Attack Damage over Damage Boost in slot 4? "Back attack more dmg."
• [Community] One commenter suggested a Power Shard bonus in slot 3 instead of crit. Krix: "u might be cooking."
• Rolling Genus Insight: lock at most 2 good orange stats before hunting for the slot 4 stat. Locking more gets too expensive.

8. Pantheon

Look for artwork with Illusion [Kaisinel] (Cooldown Reduction, Endurance Penetration) and Wisdom [Lumiel] (MP cost, Double Chance). Fill every slot with those two. Blue artwork with them is fine; yellow artwork costs a lot. These are the same Empyrean Lord stats the Arcana cards carry (Arcana).

9. Titles

Use	Title	Effect
Offensive	Unbound by Genus	PvE Damage Boost 4.5%, Attack 34, Critical Hit 68. From maxing every Genus level (all at level 10).
Defensive	Saint of Altgard	Damage Tolerance 3%, Defense 300, Block 100
Third slot	Through Hell and Back	Cooldown Reduction 3%
Goal	Empty Closet (Fashionista VII)	Equipped: Combat Speed 3.5%, Cooldown Reduction 3.5%. Needs 700 skins collected. He was at 642/700.

On the skin count: asked how he got 642 skins, he said he buys them on the market on all his alts. See cosmetics-and-reruns for the full Fashionista ladder.

10. Other answers from the comments

• Which Transcendence dungeon? You need both. Start with Shattered Arkanis.
• Stuck at 1,850 GS with no Kinah? "Time to get some alts."
• Why so much cooldown reduction when Storm Rampage already cuts cooldowns on stagger? Even with stagger, the buffs have too much downtime "until stigma 25 comes out". So you need full cooldown.
• Where does Ambush go if you use it? "Not on macro for sure."
• Multi-Hit specialties bad? Someone said so; he asked "why would multi hit be bad?"
• [Community] Several commenters call the build pay-to-win, and at his gear level that's partly fair. The skill priorities still apply at lower gear; the Talisra Wings and the 700-skin title are long-term goals.
• People asked for a PvP guide; there isn't one yet.

Garbled terms (machine translation → real name)

Heard in the English track	Real name
Hardcore, HG	Heart Gore (also "Art Score")
Badge Blast, Badge Explosion, IE	Insignia Explosion
Stormy Stampede, Storm Rampage	Storm Rampage
Lightning Cut	Flash Slice
Infiltration	Infiltrate
Back Strike, Backstab	Rear Smite
Impact blow	Impact Hit
Elusive clone	Illusive Clone
Quick contract	Swift Contract
Renewal scaling	Revitalization Contract
Wild fang	Savage Fang
Quick Cut	Quick Slice
Art Score	Heart Gore
Evasive stance	Evasion Stance
Primordial Vigor	Primal Vigor (Arcana set)
Magic hammer, blue card	Bell (Magic Armor set)
Talisman wings	Talisra Wings
Inbound by genus	Unbound by Genus
Guardian of the Saint of Valor	Saint of Altgard
Fashionista collection, "seven of the aspects"	Fashionista VII achievement (700 skins)
Amazing eagle dagger	Triniel's Dagger (stigma, level 10 in his skill window) [Verified 2026-10-18, video frame]